Blog
Seems everyone and their dog has a blog these days. It goes without say that a search marketing blog should provide commentary and insight about search engine marketing; practices and principles; heroes and villains. We like to think of ours as a reflection of who we are. And of course, as a platform for putting blog marketing theory into practice.
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Is it time your digital agency started reporting to search marketing? Seriously. Think about it. Trust me, few people have.
Toss about a few of the major Internet names in your head over the past decade. Yahoo (content), ebay (commerce), craigslist (classified), Amazon (commerce), facebook (social), youtube (video content), Google (search). Even for Apple, flash has been panned.
Shouldn’t that tell us something? Commerce is about conversion. Content is about engagement. Both require analysis. And for the most part, the depth of those points of analysis is plumbed by search.
Why then does your search manager report to your digital brand manager? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
The rise of digital was a visual (blinking) experience. Click now. Click now. Click now. Like a neon motel sign. While compelling in labeling the content matter, it did nothing to convey the more often than not seedier side of the contents in general.
 Click here. Click here. Click here. While argument of reach and scale can be posited in digital’s defence, the question must be asked, at what cost if the most compelling metric is either one of time or money, the two things most often in shortest supply? From an acquisition perspective, either of commerce or engagement, search, time and time again proves and provides better insight and efficiencies, well beyond “last click” metrics.
The argument of reach also pales in concert with size. By search standards, impressions (reach) are easily the worst standard of measurement. It’s like calling a classified ad tucked into the back pages of a newspaper an impression. And I would argue the same goes for buttons and banners that are not page dominant or homepage takeovers. An IAB standard banner is not a tv commercial or a full page glossy fashion mag image, it doesn’t take the viewer or their imagination hostage. It, in short, does not make an impression.
And if your digital brand manager is leading with impressions as a driving search metric, move them off the business. Immediately. And yet, from a digital perspective, impressions are thought to be the holy grail. Really? Shouldn’t engagement be the bare minimum requirement? Does the audience engage with your content? Whether content defined as a banner (click) or site content (click-through).
In closing, is it not a little telling that Google, a search company, leads the Internet pack from a stock market POV? Or Apple – sans Flash.
The merger of display and search with accountability to content analysis and metrics is on the near horizon and digital brand managers who continue to allow digital, unexamined and without accountability, to lead the charge, over search, have much to lose when it does.
Have a good one.
Shane Wagg
@searchtactix
Posted by: Shane on June 25, 2011 in Canadian, Eh, Light Reading, Marketing, Search, Tools/Analytics, Trends/Insights
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One of the things I love most about search marketing and what we do is nuance. Insight is right up there, but intrigue comes with the simple addition or removal of a single letter that can change the dynamics or impact of a search marketing strategy.
Case in point. We be Canadian. And we be taught to use some Queen’s English when we write. But is that the case anymore? A client asked about search copywriting yesterday and what words should be chosen. Thank you Google insights…
“Color” is employed in Canada more often than “colour” – the Queen’s English.
Another case in point… “Car” is searched far more often than “cars”. And, according to a keyword cost estimator tool, “car” is 2.6 times more expensive than “cars”.
Another interesting nuance: For one client, we don’t use their branded term in PPC unless we’re crafting a very specific promotional message. When we compared the term from an organic versus PPC perspective, we discovered some very interesting findings.
And, PPC converts better. Exactly the same word, different context across different search marketing channels on the same darn page.
For another client, we recently completed an analytics audit where we happened across another interesting nuanced gem. Same words. Different order. (This one happens all the time and always fascinates me.) And what a difference.
From a traffic level, Word 1/Word 2 is the clear driver, but from an engagement/conversion level, Word 2/Word 1 is the winner. One phrasing drives traffic, the other phrasing drives sales. If you were to look at these words with a keyword tool, it would tell you that the performance ratio is the same. Not.
One last one. People buy a home, not a house.
The psychology of search marketing. Gotta love it.
Have a good one.
~ Shane Wagg
Posted by: Shane on February 18, 2011 in Canadian, Eh, Engines, Light Reading, Marketing, Search, Tools/Analytics, Trends/Insights
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So I’m pretty sure I’ve heard this one before.
Except usually there’s a chicken. And a sky. And the sky is falling….
People seem veritably breathless about the purported Google sting operation as detailed in SearchEngineLand.com’s Google: Bing Is Cheating, Copying Our Search Results.
I’ve actually had more than one client ask me for my position on this in the past couple of days. Which I find decidely curious because to my mind it has no real ramifications for their business. Except perhaps that they should take a closer look at Bing in their arsenal, as clearly they’re invested in improving their search results.
But here’s what I really don’t get. All the subterfuge. All the cloak and dagger.
Seriously?
Why sneak in through the back door when the front door’s wide open?
Says Bing: We use click stream optionally provided by consumers in an anonymous fashion as one of 1,000 signals to try and determine whether a site might make sense to be in our index.
It is not unrealistic to suggest that one of those signals may include results garnered from another site. Like say, oh, um, Google. And like, say, oh, um… Their search ads…
Holy call a press conference, Batman! Is the media aware of this? Does Google know? Does Bing know?
Oh, wait a second… Looks like Google might be doing the same thing on Bing!!! What is the search world coming to? Well they can’t possibly be monitoring clicks or impressions or click-through rate? Can they? Speed in the ad to show? You don’t suppose they’d be tracking all the way through to the analytics do you?
It seems so… so… much like a Pepsi rep deigning to try a Coke!
Well for sanity’s sake, no one tell Ask.com… Next thing you know… oh… never mind.
It has hardly inconceivably that once upon a time, when someone was in position number infinitesimal in the market, they took a very close look at the leader (Let’s call them AltaVista) to see how they stacked up against the market presence using signals. And it is also not inconceivable that someone somewhere opened an account with a competitor (Let’s call them Overture.com) to better understand the underpinnings of an auction system.
And it’s not unfathomable that more than one person in one department in one office in Palo Alto has an account (Let’s call it Facebook) with the intention of doing far, far more than reaching out to old high school friends.
And a hushed silence came over the blogosphere.
You can’t trademark the alphabet. You can trademark a series of letters in a seemingly unrandom order. You can’t trademark recipes. You can trademark the process for making bread (if you invent a breadmaker), but you can’t trademark the recipe itself. If you want to trademark the process for roasting a turkey, you have to invent a new oven or rotisserie but you can’t trademark the recipe. Or the turkey.
And search results, you can’t trademark those either because they’re in the public domain and they actually belong to someone else. You can trademark your process.
The truth is, we all look for “signals” in the hope that it will help increase our search performance and metrics. Even those who need not depend on paid search for their organic positioning. And we all do it on the back of Google, with keyword tools and message testing and analytics. And at Google’s encouragement. Let’s not forget, they get to finesse on our backs as they have access in to our “signals” for free because they have the wherewithal and the resources to track the signals we put out into the free marketplace.
Free marketplace.
Free to examine. Not free to build. (That costs us.) And while we might sigh or scream, we learn to live with their changes based on our signals. And, like them, sometimes we even get so frustrated our only recourse is to run to the media screaming things like: Florida update. Or penalization. Or click fraud. But in the hand it just comes out sounding like “Unfair!” and everyone nods understandingly while no one really seems to care.
But it doesn’t change the fact that we do we all “look for signals”. It’s hard not to look at someone’s cards when they’re holding them out towards you.
In the end, I’m not saying Bing is or isn’t copying Google search results. I’m saying, borrowing signals from Shakespeare: It’s much ado about nothing.
Have a good one.
~ S
Posted by: Shane on February 3, 2011 in Engines, Light Reading, Marketing, Search, Tools/Analytics, Treats, Trends/Insights
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It is the beginning of a new year, copyright messages have been changed on the site and, my birthday was yesterday. (Thanks for the champagne, Douggie!)
What to make of it all?
 Search Marketing 2011 Predictions My predictions for the coming year…
I predict that Google could well start incorporating banner and rich media ads in their search results as they continue to toy with visual elements on search results pages.
I predict YaBing! (sadly) has a long, long way to go before making the necessary inroads in Canada to catch anyone’s attention. Interestingly enough, I predict Google could well open the door to YaBing! with too much focus on non-organic elements that frustrate too many users, particularly as they focus on perceived competitors like Facebook and perceived opportunities like local search and Groupon – pulling their attention away from conversion and revenue.
I predict that smart marketers will look at their analytics and come to realize that only one in two searches is done from a typical browser. And one in ten searches is now done on a mobile device.
And I predict both mobile and commerce have even farther to go than YaBing! in gaining the necessary traction in Canada to cause marketers to move away from search, fbook, et al, as simple branding tools and more as commerce tools.
I predict that Search Tactix will have a bigger 2011 than 2010 and 2010 was a banner year for our agency. That’s due to the unwaivering support of Doug, Greg, Vito, Brad and Jason. Thanks all.
And finally, I predict that marketers will gradually come to realize that search is as much an insight too as it is a marketing channel and its role will become that much more necessary in the marketing/intelligence arsenal.
Have a good year all.
~ S
Posted by: Shane on January 2, 2011 in Canadian, Eh, Light Reading, Marketing, Search, Tools/Analytics, Trends/Insights
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It’s Sunday, I’m at my computer, catching up on my weekly reading and sundry Sunday tasks.
Today, I invented a search marketing game for myself. And if you’re sitting in front of your computer catching up on sundry Sunday tasks, and you’re a search marketer trying to gain insight into Google Instant Search, you might want to try it too.
Open a notepad or word document. Write down the first 10 words that come to your mind starting with the letter “a”.
Now, open your Google browser. And type in the letter “a”. (I switched to Google.com from Google.ca.)
My Google results were:
My list, and Google’s results are shown here:
In order of search volume – Google and I overlapped exactly twice. Conversely, 80% of the time, results presented were not something I would have thought of.
Google suggestions appear not based on volume alone. Five words on my list exceeded search volumes on their recommended instant search list.
Google’s own recommendations are not presented based on search volume. Amazon, presented first with instant, actually has a search volume less than five other terms, and accordingly if search suggestions are based on suggested search volumes, “Amazon” should have appeared sixth.
Google search suggestions are not alphabetical.
So, at the end of the day, suggestions are neither volume nor alphabetically based.
And in fairness, neither are they strictly commerce based. “Addicting games”? Interestingly, “addicting games” provides results that are a) mostly free and b) barely supported by PPC advertising.
Perhaps not as insightful as I’d like it to be. But interesting, nevertheless.
Have a good one.
~ S
Posted by: Shane on November 14, 2010 in Engines, Marketing, Search, Trends/Insights
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I watched with great fascination the HBO Documentary Schmatta – Rags To Riches To Rags the other night, a telling film about the rise and fall of the garment industry in the US and specifically New York.
There were a number of interesting facts, but chief among them, the fact that during the Kennedy years, 95% of all garments in the US were US made. Today, only 5%. And the industry has all but collapsed. Not only does one struggle to find the union label but the union employee as well.
A cautionary tale, to be sure.
But it’s not just the garment industry that has run the risk of commoditization taking industries with it. For a couple of years, it seemed every day a spam email would come in offering offshore SEO services because they were ultimately cheaper. And by ultimately, what I mean is exponentially.
In the recent AdAge article How EBay Is Winning With Bid to Enhance the Customer Experience author Natalie Zmuda essentially points out that in only a few short years the market has changed so much as to turn the machine that commoditized retail into a commodity itself, one that struggles to compete with the likes of Amazon, Zappos and others who have more capably succeeded chasing the lowest price every day.
A focus on price and price alone is fraught with risk that extends, far, far beyond retail. And in the descent from 95% to 5% share, management teams change and CEOs come and go.
New managers seek to make their mark within their first 100 days. Even US presidents are measured by their first 100 days. In creating impact, we most often seek to create efficiencies but the net result may, in the long-term, prove little more than a commodity.
Just ask ebay. Or the schmatta industry.
In the end, the cost may prove significantly more than the lowest price every day.
As marketers, we need to be aware of that. Not simply for our clients. But for ourselves as well.
Have a good one.
~ S
Posted by: Shane on October 21, 2009 in Channel Surfing, Light Reading, Marketing, Search, Trends/Insights
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According to the MediaPost article SEO or PPC, an Engine Ready study has found:
…visitors who arrive at a retailer’s site from paid search ads are 50% more likely to buy than those who come from clicking on a natural search link. The conversion rate from paid search is 2.03% versus 1.26% from organic search….
Buy the numbers?
Aside from the “last click” argument postulated I have to say I find those results believable. Of course, not having done the research, my gut says this would be the case based on what analytics tell us.
Typically, removing branded searches from both PPC and SEO analysis we find PPC results have more pages viewed, more time spent and a lower bounce rate. (Typically. And yes, I am generalizing.) All of that would suggest our conversions would also more salient.
It just makes sense for a couple of reasons:
PPC advertising is dynamic and that ultimately plays to its favor. PPC also allows for very specific (pointed) dialogue points. Price, promotion, etc.
SEO is typically broad based. Widgets. Perhaps blue widgets. But blue widgets on sale today only for $9.99? Unlikely.
PPC can therefore do a better job of qualifying prospects and as such, would lend itself to higher conversion rates.
Secondly, more than one study has reported that search engine users are more likely to click on organic listings than they are on PPC listings. (Some research reporting up to 6 times more likely.) That’s a relevant stat.
How so?
We’re back to that learned behaviour thing again. Though a smaller pool, those clicking on PPC ads believe they work (otherwise they wouldn’t be clicking them). Moreover, the very nature of PPC lends itself to conversion. (Leads, sales, sign-ups.) Because PPC is thought to be more accountable, more is expected of it and because more is expected of it, more is done with it. (Testing can be more immediate with PPC.)
Again, all of these things lend themselves to the argument that better conversions should be an expectation of PPC.
Whether the numbers are true or not, it highlights the need to treat SEO and PPC as separate but equal. Both play a role but each in a different way. (Which is why we do both. Well.)
SEO is the turtle. PPC is the hare.
 Source: S.T. Lewis (Shane Lewis) It all depends on how long the race is.
Have a good one.
S
Posted by: Shane on August 13, 2009 in Marketing, Search, Trends/Insights
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We received a call last night from the LA Times asking for insight into a certain niche market with which we’re very familiar. After providing some background information and resources, we also provided the name of a contact in Los Angeles who would better serve as an subject matter authority as we are from Toronto and a quote from us wouldn’t lend the necessary credibility.
That we were called over other, possibly more established contacts was not a surprise but a realization of a plan initiated over five years ago and still in place today. We chose to become the authority on a particular niche and devoted not an inordinate amount of time to do so. The result has been conference speaking opportunities throughout North America, quotes in established media properties including The New York Times and new business.
That of course begs the question: How did we do it?
Search. Specifically organic search engine optimization. Nary a penny has been spent on paid search (although to be sure, we are huge advocates of PPC as a critical component of any online marketing strategy.)
Becoming the authority is not as hard as it may seem. Julie Powell parlayed her Julie/Julia Project blog into a book and then a movie. Along the way she became an authority on, if not Julia Child herself, then on her recipes.
And no, not everyone can become an authority to the tune of a significantly larger bank account… But it is possible. Let’s face it, the very act of showing up at work every day gives us 8 hours of niche marketing authority building opportunity in every business day. Start there.
So, how does one become the authority?
Capitalize on a passion
Research the market
Understand the available resources
Watch your competition
Network, including your competition
Construct a sustained dialogue
Approach with confidence
Capitalize On A Passion or Specific Knowledge
As mentioned, the very act of showing up at your desk every day gives you a headstart on becoming the authority about something. It’s long been said that your best friend at the office is the receptionist as he or she knows pretty much everything about everything going on, whether business or personally related. (Imagine the knowledge.) What knowledge do you have that you are not capitalizing on?
Research The Market
This whole Interwebs thing is the most amazing business tool you will every run across. Not only can you research subject matter but you can research the research on subject matter.
The Hummingbird that settled at the bird feeder is intriguing. Do Hummingbirds ever stay still? Could I build my own Hummingbird feeder? (And if I can, once I have become the authority I can market and sell Hummingbird feeders because I’ve done the “Hummingbird” research.)
Understand The Available Resources
By setting up alerts around, birds, bird watching and Hummingbirds, you can fast become the authority not only about information available regarding your subject matter, but resources on who disseminates that information and topical subject matter. And alert information comes to you, you need not go in search of it.
Watch Your Competition
Again, set up alerts on competitors and their primary products. Moreover, if they have a blog, subscribe to it. (Tip: Get a freemail address so you can remain under the radar.) And physically monitor their web site on a weekly or monthly basis to see what changes and how frequently.
Network, Including Your Competition
Whenever possible, get to know your competition. Particularly in other markets. You never know when the LA Times is going to call and you’re not going to be the best resource. But the ability to effortlessly provide them a resource they can use contributes to your position as the authority. And, what goes around comes around.
Construct A Sustained Dialogue
With opportunity abounding and research done, it’s time for an action plan to realize your niche marketing authority position. Build a web site. (Base your build on research – whimsy is for content, not construct). Start a blog. Do facetime on Facebook. Tweet on Twitter. Establish a footprint.
Approach With Confidence
In becoming a niche marketing authority when you decide to have a voice, decide to have a voice. Afterall, Hummingbirds don’t particularly like shrinking violets.
Have a good one.
S
Posted by: Shane on August 7, 2009 in Light Reading, Marketing, Tips, Trends/Insights
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Wow – Southern Comfort Pours Entire Media Budget Into Digital. It’s not the first time in recent months I’ve seen a similar headline. That was actually in February when Tourisme Montreal announced they were moving their media budget 100% online.
While two hardly speaks to ubiquity (that old favorite dotcom chestnut), it does warrant some consideration.
In both cases, the move makes sense. Per Southern Comfort:
“As we’ve focused more on 21 to 29, TV becomes less and less effective at reaching that audience,” she said. “It was getting harder and harder to hit our target without so much waste.”
That quote is not so much a denigration of broadcast media as it is an enlightened perspective on their core constituents. And when it comes to marketing, we are all living in an age of enlightenment. (From Wikipedia: The increased consumption of reading materials of all sorts was one of the key features of the “social” Enlightenment. – Google books, anyone?)
 Ubiquity Leads The People More than being impressed, I was intrigued. What does it take to make the leap from 94% non-digital media to 100% digital media inside a year. Certainly a little faith goes a long way. But faith should hardly be the only factor in swaying a dialogue of that magnitude. Curiousity? An absolute. But more than anything, the numbers have to tell the story. Ah yes, the numbers.
Quirky things, those.
In actuality, it’s not the numbers but the process by which the numbers are measured. The business case. KPIs – Key Performance Indicators.
The ability to measure and prove movement, whether up, down or sideways is critical particularly in becoming an agent of change. And measurement is well within reach when it comes to digital, down to a person. And analytics go a long, long way in setting direction down a particular path. However, numbers are only numbers without context and relevance.
Enter interpretation, trust and curiousity.
If your budget is one of millions or hundreds of thousands, get thee an analyst. Someone who can be impartial and objective with the ability to identify trends, issues, and insights worthy of testing.
Without the proof, it’s all guesswork, conjecture and in court parlance, “hearsay”. And we’ve all learned after myriad reruns of Law & Order: SVU, that’s no way to build a case. Particularly a business case.
Have a good one.
S
Posted by: Shane on July 30, 2009 in Canadian, Eh, Light Reading, Marketing, Trends/Insights
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It’s no secret that to produce well, you have to plan well, and in our world of digital marketing, so much is planned out, voted on, and then produced, but there is a heavy “measure once, cut once” production going into the majority of today’s online and offline media production. As we all know from the world of construction, that can lend itself to some rather embarrassing learnings…
So with the world of PPC so readily available to all of the big brands and giant retailers, why are there so many out there who measure once, cut once, or worse – produce first and measure second?
When done correctly, PPC can be an infinitely long ruler used to pre-measure the success of offline and online media, whether its imagery, verbiage, or overall message. PPC should be looked at as a first step in creating the most effective audio, video, and contextual advertising. It is the least expensive way to find out where the majority of market is and what resonates best with them to create brand awareness and/or conversions (leads, sales, sign-ups, etc).
Just think! Instead of spending the money on television commercials that bomb, start first with PPC to discover what message gets through to the most people. Instead of throwing an ad on that magazine back cover, find out what imagery and/or message your audience will respond to in the best way. Create INFORMED media!
Reputations are at stake, and in this ever increasing world of digital marketing, we have to start making our clients aware of how we can positively influence all of their marketing plans before sending them off to production. Lets show our clients how we can inform traditional media.
Cheers!
Doug Gebhardt
Posted by: Doug Gebhardt on July 29, 2009 in Marketing, Search, Tips, Trends/Insights
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Maybe it’s the whole old dog, new trick thing but I’ve struggled to come to terms with Twitter. Social media I get in theory although, admittedly with a little skepticism. Twitter, not so much.
But slowly, ever so slowly, I find myself paying just that much more attention to it. The AdAge Article: If Harry Potter Got Swine Flu, Would Twitter Self-Destruct? gave me pause for thought. A simple little Twitter trending piece.
 Twitter Search Insights Fortunately, we’re not limited to Twitter’s trends alone as Google offers its Insights For Search tool which is invaluable for at-a-glance snapshots.
With that in mind, I ran the same searches and admittedly, was a little surprised.
 Google Insights Versus Twitter Trends I don’t know that it has truly changed my mind or my feelings about Twitter from a social media marketing perspective but it is enough to make me take a second and closer look.
Trends hold up in both, particularly “Obama”, “Harry Potter” and “Taco Bell”. Of course the deaths and media coverage of Michael Jackson and the Taco Bell dog are surging trends but that’s more a commentary on humanity than it is of Twitter.
Have a good one.
S
Posted by: Shane on July 25, 2009 in Light Reading, Marketing, Search, Trends/Insights
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In today’s AdAge – Advertising Will Change Forever Forrester Research predicts that while digital advertising budgets will double in the next 5 years, advertising budgets overall will not.
In reading the article, we should all be rushing out to set up mobile marketing divisions with its projected 400% growth in the next five years. And a social media brain trust wouldn’t hurt either with its projected 400% growth as well. Of course all of this presumes Facebook and Twitter will find their business cases. (Realistically, with a gigabillion dollar valuation, ex-Google leaderships and revenue projections of $500 million in the next year or so, it would appear Facebook must be closer than those of us on the outside, noses pressed against the pain, struggling to peer in must realize.)
However… however.. what isn’t mentioned in the guts of the article is that search marketing, little old search will have revenue 10 times that of social media and almost 30 times that of mobile marketing.
Now those are some interesting numbers.
It seems interesting that those numbers are not reported in the body of the article. Is search marketing already passé? Or has it become inferred? Perhaps a little bit of both.
As a search guy, mine is always a biased opinion when it comes to the value of search in any marketing strategy or budget. And as a search guy, I find myself continually frustrated some 12 years later to find that search continues to be a post-script and not the precept that it should deservedly be. Search, in concert with analytics, should inform marketing initiatives from the outset as they ultimately and succinctly are the voice of the consumer.
Look at a trend or insights chart and seasonality is brought to life. Spend some time immersed in any given search campaign and a story will reveal itself if not, almost immediately, then within days, not weeks, months or fiscal years.
So while the media seems to have moved beyond search and brand managers must still be talked into a comprehensive search marketing strategy it would seem to me that the numbers are the things that matter. And of course, the results.
Cheers,
S
Posted by: Shane on July 21, 2009 in Marketing, Search, Tools/Analytics, Trends/Insights
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